1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to recreational vehicles having extendable slide-outs and, in particular, relates to a recreational vehicle having a damage avoidance system that reduces the likelihood that the vehicle will be damaged as a result of the slide-out colliding with an object disposed in the path of the slide-out.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recreational vehicles are becoming more popular with individuals who wish to travel in comfort on the open road. Recreational vehicles provide individuals with a generously sized interior living space that can accommodate many of the amenities of home such as a kitchen, a living room, a bedroom and a bathroom. To provide increased interior space, recreational vehicles often include one or more slide-out members that can be extended from the vehicle to enlarge the interior living space and retracted inside the vehicle to reduce the exterior profile of the vehicle so as to allow the vehicle to travel on public roads.
Typically, the slide-out is controlled by a powered actuator assembly that moves the slide-out between the retracted and deployed positions such that a user is able to move the slide-out by simply pushing a button. For example, FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a typical actuator assembly 10 of a recreational vehicle of the prior art. The typical actuator assembly comprises a motor 12 that is coupled to a slide-out 14 by way of a movement arm 16. When the motor is activated, the motor directs the arm to apply a force onto the slide-out which moves the slide-out in a linear manner along an axis extending from the vehicle. The typical actuator assembly further comprises a switching element 18 that is disposed within the interior of the recreational vehicle so as to be accessible to the user. The switching element is coupled to the motor such that activation of the switching element by the user results in activation of the motor. Typically, the switching element comprises a three-way switch that, when placed in a first activated state by the user, causes the slide-out to be moved to the retracted position, and that, when placed in a second activated state by the user, causes the slide-out to be moved to the deployed position.
Unfortunately, if an object is disposed in the path of the slide-out when the slide-out is being repositioned, the slide-out will collide with the object. If the object is large or immovable, large forces could be exchanged between the slide-out and the object. Thus, it is possible that the slide-out and the object disposed in the path of the slide-out may be damaged as a result of such a collision. Moreover, if the slide-out is blocked by the object and the user is unaware that the slide-out is in an immovable state, continued activation of the electric motor could damage the actuator assembly.
This problem can result in compromises being made in the manufacturing and design of the recreational vehicle. For example, motor home vehicles often have captain""s chairs located in the driver and front passenger position. These can be very large chairs of fairly rigid construction. When the vehicle is in motion, these chairs are facing forward. However, when the vehicle is stationary, these chairs are often rotated 180 degrees so as to function as lounge chairs in the motor home.
Typically, the chairs extend inward into the living space of the motor home a greater distance than when facing forward during travel of the vehicle. As such, these chairs can be positioned in the path of travel of an interior wall of a slide out member such that, if the chairs are not turned around into their driving position prior to retraction of the slide out, the slide out can hit a chair. This can result in damage to either the chair or the slide out as discussed above. It will be appreciated that remembering to rotate the chairs prior to retraction of the slide out is often overlooked by motor home vehicle owners in the face of all of the other tasks that must be accomplished in readying the motor home for travel.
To address this problem, the motor home designer often designs the slide out so that it does not extend into the position wherein the slide out will contact the chair. Unfortunately, this results in a lessening of the overall length of the motor home slide out thereby reducing the available living space of the motor home. Available living space in motor homes and other recreational vehicles is already at a premium due to the size constraints imposed on the vehicle for travel.
From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that there is a need for a recreational vehicle having a slide-out that is less likely to become damaged as a result of the slide-out colliding with an object disposed in the path of the slide-out. In particular, there is a need for the recreational vehicle to include a damage avoidance system that detects either a collision or an imminent collision between the slide-out and an object disposed in the path of the slide-out. Furthermore, upon detecting such events, the damage avoidance system should disable the actuator assembly so that the possibility of damage to the slide-out, the object, and the actuator assembly is reduced.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the aforementioned needs are satisfied by a recreational vehicle comprising a chassis having a plurality of rotatable wheels extending therefrom, and a main housing member disposed above the chassis. The main housing member comprises a plurality of walls that define a main interior living space therebetween and an opening that extends from the main interior living space. The recreational vehicle further comprises a slide-out member disposed within the opening of the main housing member. The slide-out member comprises a plurality of walls that define a supplemental living space therebetween. The slide-out member is movable between (a) a retracted position such that a substantial portion of the slide-out is disposed within the main interior living space and (b) a deployed position such that a substantial portion of the slide-out is disposed outside of the main interior living space so as to provide the vehicle with an increased overall living space that includes the main interior living space of the main housing member and the supplemental living space of the slide-out member. The recreational vehicle further comprises an actuator assembly that, when activated, urges the slide-out member to move between the retracted position and the deployed position. The recreational vehicle further comprises a damage avoidance system that reduces the likelihood that the slide-out member will be damaged as a result of the slide-out member colliding with a nearby object disposed in the path of the slide-out member.
In one embodiment, the damage avoidance system comprises a sensor module that detects if the slide-out member is in an adverse state. In particular, the slide-out member is in the adverse state if: (a) the nearby object is disposed in the path of the slide-out member, (b) the slide-out member has already collided with the nearby object, or (c) abnormally large resistive forces are acting on the slide-out member.
In another aspect of the invention, a method is provided which reduces the likelihood that a slide-out member of a recreational vehicle will be damaged as a result of the slide-out member colliding with a nearby object disposed adjacent the slide-out member. The method comprises detecting if the slide-out member is in an adverse state. If the adverse state is detected, a movement mechanism of the recreational vehicle is inhibited from applying a force onto the slide-out member.
In one embodiment, detecting if the slide-out member is in the adverse state comprises detecting if the nearby object is disposed in the path of the slide-out member. In another embodiment, detecting if the slide-out member is in the adverse state comprises detecting if the slide-out member has collided with the nearby object. In yet another embodiment, detecting if the slide-out member is in the adverse state comprises detecting the presence of abnormally large resistive forces acting on the slide-out member.
From the foregoing, it should be apparent that the recreational vehicle of the present invention is less likely to damaged during use. In particular, because the actuator assembly is inhibited from applying a force onto the slide-out member when the damage avoidance system detects that the nearby object is disposed in the path of the slide-out member, the likelihood that the slide-out member will collide with the nearby object is substantially reduced. Moreover, because the damage avoidance system inhibits the actuator assembly from applying a force onto the slide-out member in response to detecting the occurrence of a collision between the slide-out member and the nearby object, the likelihood that the slide-out member will be damaged subsequent to the collision is reduced. These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.